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The core range of The Glenlivet as repackage in May 2011: The 12, 15, 18, 21 and the 25 years old

History of The Glenlivet Distillery

The distillery of Glenlivet was founded by George Smith and Peter Fraser in 1824 at Upper Druming with a single still. George Smith was the first in Glenlivet to take out a license under the new act. The initial production was 50 gallons per week and increased to 100 gallons per week by 1826. In 1840, George leased a farm at Minmore, further down (.5 mile) the hill from Upper Drumin.

In 1850 George Smith took over the lease of Delnabo distillery near Tomintoul and installed his second son, John Gordon Smith as manager and renamed it Cairngorm.
A new distillery was built at Minmore in 1859. The old distilleries at Upper
Drumin and Delnabo were closed and their copper stills moved to
the new distillery at Minmore. George formed a partnership with his son John Gordon and the distillery operated under the name "George & J. G. Smith". Around 1864, 4 warehouses were attached to the distillery.

At the death of George Smith in 1871, his son, John Gordon Smith took over and registered the mark "Glenlivet". In 1884 a trademark case was settled out of court which decreed
that only one distillery can legally call itself 'The Glenlivet. The right on waters of the Josie's well is acquired in 1890. The distillery was modernised in 1894 with steam power for grinding the malt and in 1896 with the introduction of electricity; a second pair of stills was added. At the time of Alfred Barnard visit, 50 men were employed at the distillery and the wash stills had a capacity of 3,700 gallons. The stills were old-fashioned and of the pot kind. In 1901, John Gordon Smith died and the lease was transferred to his nephew George Smith Grant. The estate, including the farm and the distillery were valued at £200.455. At that time, the production reached 250,00 gallons a year. In 1921, W. H. Smith Grant, the younger son of Colonel George Smith grant became the proprietor of the distillery. In 1951, the company was incorporated as George & J. G. Smith Ltd, with W.H. Smith Grant as chairman. This company bought the assets of the firm George & J. G. Smith for £100,000 and the following year, they joined J&J Grant from the Glen Grant distillery to form the public company The Glenlivet & Glen Grant distillers Ltd.

Captain Bill Smith Grants bottled The Glenlivet as a single malt and closed the floor maltings in 1966, when the annual production reached 595,000 proof gallons. As a result of the demand of The Glenlivet in the USA, the number of stills increased from 4 to 6. Worm tubes were still in use until then. In November 1977, the Glenlivet group was taken over by Seagram for £48mio (including Glenlivet, Glen Grant and Longmorn distilleries). The visitor centre was inaugurated in 1978 and the number of stills increased to 8. Chivas Brothers was acquired by Pernod Ricard in 2000 and the Cellar Collection (single cask bottling) is launched. The extension of the distillery was officially opened on 04June2010 in presence of HRH Prince Charles. The £10mio extension included a new full lauter mash tun, new Oregon Pine washbacks and 3 additional pairs of stills.